Kalen DeBoer broke personal record in naming Ty Simpson Alabama’s starting QB

Published On: August 13, 2025

On Monday, Alabama football received the news.The starting quarterback had been announced as Ty Simpson.

With the season opener more than two weeks away, Kalen DeBoer’s choice at that time somewhat set a personal record for his selections of Power Four quarterbacks.

DeBoer’s decision to anoint Simpson the starting quarterback 19 days prior to the start of the season is by far the earliest he has ever done as a head coach at this level. The other two are Jake Haener, four days prior to the Fresno State opener, and Michael Penix Jr., eleven days prior to the Washington opener.

On August 23, 2022, Penix was selected as the starting quarterback by DeBoer and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb. On September 3, 2022, Washington played their first game of the season against Kent State.

Prior to it, Haener was selected as the COVID-19 season’s starter on October 20, 2020. On October 24, 2020, the Bulldogs played their first game of the season against Hawaii.

When DeBoer returned, Jalen Milroe was the starting quarterback.

Simpson will be in good company if he can emulate Penix and Haener. Both were later selected in the NFL draft. In the 2024 NFL Draft, Penix was chosen by the Atlanta Falcons as the eighth overall pick. In the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, Haener was selected by the New Orleans Saints. Both are still in the NFL.